This invention relates to fluid cooled mirrors and is specifically directed to an improvement in the connection devices where fluid enters and exits to and from the mirror.
Mirrors, which are used to direct and control high energy beams, such as high energy laser beams, absorb high amounts of energy and must be cooled by water, or other suitable fluid, to maintain proper operating conditions and to prevent damage thereto. However, when cooling fluid flows through the mirror, the mirror is caused to vibrate or "jitter". One cause of this jitter involves the connection devices where the fluid enters and exits from the mirror. These connections are conventionally rigid and tied rigidly to the mirror and, as fluid flows through these rigid connection devices, a strain is placed on the mirror and jitter is induced.
This invention is thus directed to the elimination of jitter in cooled mirrors.
Thus, it is an object to this invention to improve the prior art cooled mirrors by providing such mirrors with free floating non-rigid connection joints to eliminate jitter induced into the mirror as the fluid is flowing through the mirror.